How Can Speech Therapy Help Kids with Autism?

“Use your words!” This is a phrase parents often tell their children. But
for children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, “using words” may not be
possible. In fact, difficulty with communication is a defining characteristic
of autism.

“Most children with autism do have deficits in speech and language,” says
Christy Schweitzer, M.A., CCC-SLP, a speech language pathologist with Henry
Ford Health System. “However, the definition of autism describes deficits in communication.”

Schweitzer says “communication” includes not only speech and language but
also gestures, eye contact and other nonverbal ways we give information to
others.

“When parents say their child isn’t communicating, what they often mean is,
‘My child isn’t communicating in a way that I can recognize and understand,’”
Schweitzer says.

Building Communication Skills

When a doctor suspects a child has autism, the child is referred to a
variety of specialists, including a speech language pathologist who is trained
to treat individuals with voice, speech and language disorders.

In some cases, children may not be able to learn verbal language, so they
require alternate ways to communicate.

“Having other methods of communicating can mean the difference between being able to calmly and successfully let others know what they want versus having a tantrum,” explains Schweitzer.

Teaching other forms of communication is a large part of speech therapy.

“Our primary goal is to have the children talk in words and sentences,”
Schweitzer says. “For some children with ASD, this is not possible, especially
at the beginning of therapy. They often need other ways of communicating wants
and needs.”

This may include teaching kids to use sign language or pictures of items to make a request. “For some kids, handing an adult a picture of the item they want makes more sense than saying the word,” she says.

If a child isn’t saying some single words by 18 months, or is not using
two-word phrases by age 2, he or she should be evaluated.

“We want all children to use conventional speech and language to their
greatest potential,” Schweitzer says. “However, some children need to learn
other ways of communicating before they are able to grasp the concept of words
and sentences.”

To make an appointment with a Henry Ford Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities specialist, call (313) 916-4665 or visit henryford.com/autism for information.

To find a pediatrician, visit henryford.com or call 1-800-HENRYFORD (436-7936).

Christy Schweitzer, M.A., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist
specializing in working with children with communication disorders, and leads
pediatric speech services for Henry Ford Health System.

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